‘Raise your head high, and keep your hearts light and awake,’ Pope tells pilgrims
December 02, 2024
» Continue to this story on Vatican Press Office
CWN Editor's Note: Reflecting on the Gospel reading of the First Sunday of Advent (Luke 21:25-28, 34-36), Pope Francis said during his December 1 Angelus address that “Jesus’ invitation is this: raise your head high and keep your hearts light and awake.”
Jesus wanted to free His contemporaries “from present anxieties and false convictions, showing them how to stay awake in their hearts, how to read events from the plan of God, who works salvation even within the most dramatic events of history,” the Pope told pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square. “That is why He suggests that they turn their gaze to Heaven to understand the things of earth.”
“If worries weigh down our hearts and induce us to close in on ourselves, Jesus, on the contrary, invites us to lift up our heads, to trust in His love that wants to save us and that draws close to us in every situation of our existence, He asks us to make room for Him in order to find hope again,” Pope Francis continued.
He concluded:
And so, let us ask ourselves: is my heart weighed down by fear, worries and anxieties about the future? Do I know how to look at daily events and the vicissitudes of history with God’s eyes, in prayer, with a broader horizon? Or do I let myself be overcome by despondency?The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
May this Advent season be a precious opportunity to lift our gaze to Him, who lightens our hearts and sustains us on our way. Let us now invoke the Virgin Mary, who even in times of trial was ready to accept God’s plan.
For all current news, visit our News home page.
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
